Page 78 of You Know You Wanna

Surprise flickered in her eyes, but she didn’t argue, hopping on and clinging to me like a baby koala until we walked into our suite. Birdie went to spread the word that we’d found her while I ordered comfort food for dinner from room service.

Lulu took a quick shower and changed into clean pajamas before joining me for grilled cheese and tomato soup. Then I tucked her in and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. I stayed with her for a few minutes, only getting up when I heard a soft knock at our front door.

Declan had moved into the suite next to ours earlier, so I doubted it was him. Shutting Laurene’s bedroom door, I went to check who was outside and smiled as I waved Birdie in. “She’s asleep.”

“That’s good,” Birdie replied in a near whisper. “I’m glad she’s okay after all that. Did she eat something?”

“Yeah, a little,” I said, taking her hands and tugging her to me. “You told everyone she was okay?”

“I did. Everything is fine downstairs now. The police left and they’re all just happy that she’s safe and sound.”

I dragged in a shuddering breath, slid my arms around her hips, and lowered my forehead to hers. “Thanks for your help today. We’d never have found her without you.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck and smiled, letting her head rest against mine as she looked into my eyes. “Are you okay? That was quite a day.”

“It was, and I’m not, but I will be.” I closed my eyes for a beat. “In a weird way, I’m even kind of grateful that it happened. It sucks that it took her running away for me to really listen, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop feeling guilty about that, but we’re in a good place now. It’s a place I plan on staying in with her.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she murmured against my lips, then dragged in a deep breath and released me. “I should go and you should get some rest, but I’m serious, Remington. You’ve made mistakes. All parents do, but at the end of the day, you came through for her. That matters.”

I caught her wrist before she could take a step back. “Stay with me tonight?”

“Really?” She frowned. “Are you sure? You must be dead on your feet and I wouldn’t blame you if you needed some space to process.”

“Of course, I’m sure. Please?”

Her eyes lingered on mine for a second before she nodded. “Okay. Yes, I’ll stay.”

I took her hand and led her across the suite. “Have you eaten anything?”

“Gracie forced some pizza into me downstairs. I’m good.”

She followed me to my bedroom and I shut the door behind us, spun her into me, brushed her hair out of her face, and lowered my mouth to hers. I hadn’t asked her to stay for sex, but I needed her, and as I kissed her, I realized just how much.

40

BIRDIE

The sharp sound of the lock on his door engaging snapped through the air and I pushed my hands into his hair. “I thought we were getting some rest.”

“We will,” he murmured between passionate kisses.

He walked us back toward the bed and laid me down on the mattress. Sliding his hand along the length of my leg, he hooked his fingers behind my knee and bent it. Kissing me hard, he lowered himself down on me. I moaned into his mouth, wanting to be close to him so much after the day we’d had.

Knowing she was gone had been traumatic as hell and I wanted him to take comfort from me. To find his comfort in me.

I kissed him back, peeling off his shirt and lifting my back so he could do the same with mine. Our lips crashed together again as soon as the fabric passed between us and they didn’t part for so much as another second until he had to reach for a condom.

Looking into my eyes, he rolled it on. Then he took my hands when he was done, moving back over to me on his knees before he kissed me again. With his arms around my waist, he lay back on the bed and kept holding both my hands as he helped me climb on top of him.

I straddled his hips, hovering with my entrance at his tip. I held his gaze, not breaking eye contact when I started lowering myself down. Remington’s big hands tightened around my own, his fingers gripping mine like his life depended on it as I fed him into me.

His lips were parted and soft groans escaped him on every other breath, but he never looked away. Neither did I. I held his hands and his gaze, moving with him once he was inside me and feeling like we were in our own little bubble.

A happy, safe, romantic bubble where nothing could get to us. Nothing could break us apart, and even as we went over the edge together, we held on to each other. Then we did it all over again in the middle of the night.

When I finally fell asleep for good, he was still holding me, his lips pressed to my temple as his breathing evened out and his muscles relaxed.

I woke up the next morning before him. Used to waking early for yoga, I opened my eyes when the sun was still barely rising above the mountaintops outside. I lay still for a moment, marveling at the view from the master bedroom in the suite.